Notching machine



Nov. 23 1954 xo NOTCHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 2, 1951 INVENTOR. .50 (m0 m 1 Nov. 23, 1954 E. LAXO NOTCHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2, 1951 INVEN TOR fa 1M0 United States Patent Ofiice 2,695,061 Patented Nov. 23, 1954 NOTCHING MACHINE Ed Laxo, Oakland, Calif. Application March 2, 1951, Serial No. 213,582 3 Claims. (Cl. 16450) This invention relates to a notching machine for notching and slitting can body blanks.

In making can bodies sheet metal strips known as can body blanks are notched at the corners at one end and are slit at the corners at the other end. The object of this notching and slitting is to prevent excessive metal thickness in the finished cans at the junction of the can body side seam and the double seams employed to clamp can ends to the can body.

These notches and slits must be formed accurately and at high speed. One type of notching and slitting machine employs reciprocating punches and slides for slideably supporting and guiding the punches. The sliding motion of the punches is disadvantageous because of scoring and galling of the slides, causing imperfections in the notches and slits and requiring frequent shutdown for replacements or repairs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for guiding the punches of a can body notching machine or the like which avoids the necessity of employing slides.

A notching machine employed to notch and slit can body blanks forms a part of a can body maker line which includes other machines such as to form hooks for formation of maker for forming these hooks into side seams. These various elements of a can body maker line must be operated at high speed to be economical, and theymust be operated in accurately timed relationship to one another. The means employed heretofore to operate a can body notching machine have been relatively complicated and are disadvantageous from the standpoint of timing the notching machine with other elements of a can body maker line. itself comprises two parts or assemblies placed on opposite sides of a feed table and these assemblies must be operated in accurately timed relationship to one another.

It is another object of the present invention to provide means for operating the punches of a can body blank notching machine which is capable of high speed operation in accurately timed relation to other elements of a can body maker line.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide means for operating the punches of a notching machine which has a simplified construction and mode of operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means for operating the punches of a can body blank notching machine which ensures and facilitates timing of the two parts of the machine.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

One form of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and is described in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical mid-section through a can body blank notching machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, taken along the lines lI-II of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are sections taken along the lines III- III and IVIV, respectively, of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the die carrier.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a can body blank notched and slit by the notching machine of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly side seams, and a body a hook forming machine Also a can body blank notching machine in to Figure 1, the machine as a whole is generally designated by the numeral 10 and it comprises leftand right-hand assemblies 11a and 11b, respectively, which are carried 12. The left-hand assembly 11a notches can body blanks, one of which is shown at 13 supported on a feed table 14, and the right-hand assembly 11b slits the blanks. A can body blank is shown in plan view in Figure 6. As there shown, the body blank is notched at 15 at one end and is slit at the opposite end at 16 to form tabs 17. The tabs 17 serve to cover the notches 15 when a can body has been formed.

The assemblies 11a and 11b are driven by a single crankshaft 18 which also may be used to operate other elements of a can body maker line such as a hook forming assembly, for example, that described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 213,581, filed March 2, 1951, entitled Hook Forming Machine and a body maker, for example, that described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 156,617, filed June 2, 1950, entitled Can Body Maker, now United States Patent No. 2,656,806. Two eccentrics 19 are provided, one for each of the assemblies 11a and 115. Each eccentric 19 is clamped to the crankshaft 18 and to it is rotatably connected one end of a connecting rod 20, the other end of which is rotatably connected at 25 to a rocker 26. The rockers 26 are rotatable on a counter-shaft 27 and each of them is rotatably connected at 28 to one end of i an adjustable connecting rod 29, the other end of which is rotatably connected to a pin 30.

The leftand right-hand assemblies 11a and 1112 are identical except forthe punches. The punches of the left-hand assembly 11a are designed to form notches and the punches of the right-hand assembly 11b are designed to form slits. Only the right-hand assembly 11b will be described in detail. Similar parts in these two assemblies are similarly numbered.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, a die block 35 is provided which is keyed at 36 to the housing 37 of the assembly 11b, and it is clamped thereto by means of cap screws 38. This construction permits adjustment of the die block 35 lengthwise of the frame of the machine for the purpose of spacing the various elements of a can body maker line for can body blanks of a particular width. The die block 35 is formed with two spaced slits 39 to conform to the slits 16 to be formed in the body blank and to receive the punches 40, which are mounted and operated in the manner described in detail hereinafter. The left-hand die block 35 is, of course, formed with notches to conform to the notches 15. There is also shown in Figure 1, registry means, generally designated as 41, which is operated by suitable means (not shown) from the crankshaft 18. The function of this registry means is to shift can body blanks and register them with the notching and slitting punches. This or any other known type of registry means may be employed for the purpose. Also, any suitable means (not shown), such as reciprocating dogs, may be employed to feed the body blanks along the feed table.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the right-hand connecting rod 29 is rotatably connected to a pin 30 on the ends of which are mounted arms 42 of a punch holder 43. The arms 42 are integral at their upper ends with a head member 44 which also forms a part of the punch holder 43. The head portion 44 is guided for vertical movement by a pair of lower parallel links 45 and a pair of upper parallel links 46 which are arranged in parallelism to the lower links 45. The lower links 45 are mounted at their inner ends on the pin 30 and at their outer ends on a pin 50 which is clamped by means of set screws 51 to brackets 52 which are keyed at 53 to a frame member 54. By this construction the entire assembly 11]) can be shifted along the frame of the machine to adjust the several elements of a can body maker line for can body blanks of a particular width. As shown in Figure 2, roller bearings 55 are provided upon which the links 45 are freely rotatable. v

The upper links 46 are rotatably mounted at their inner ends on opposite ends of a pin 57. The pin 57 extends through a Ipassage 58 formed in the head member 44 and roller bearings 59 are provided upon which the head member 44 is free to rotate. The outer ends of the links 46 are rotatable on stub shafts 60 which are clamped to the housing 37 by cap screws 61. Roller bearings 62 are provided upon which the links 46 are freely rotatable. It will .be seen that the head member 44 is also guided for vertical movement by the side walls 63 of the housing 37.

The punches 40 are carried by a punch block 70 which, in turn, is carried .by the head member 44. It will be seen from an inspection of Figures 1 and 2 that the punch block 70 is seated in a dovetail recess 72 formed in the head member 44 and that it is clamped to the head member 44 by means of a gib 73 and cap screws 74.

Referring to Figures 3 and it will be seen that each punch 40 is carried in a recess 75 formed in the punch block 70 and is clamped in place by means of a gib 76 Each of the punches 40 is adjustable by means of a screw 72a which, as shown .in Figure 5, is threaded through the gib 73 and bears against'the upper end of the punch. By turning the screw 724, it will be apparent that vertical adjustment of the punch 40 can be accomplished. A lock nut 78 is provided for locking the screw 72a in adjusted position.

It Will thus be apparent that a punching or notching machine is provided having several advantageous features, among which may be mentioned the following:

The two elements of the machine, that is to say, the leftand right-hand assemblies 11a and 11b, are operated from a single crankshaft. This simplifies construction, operation and timing of the two assemblies. Also, it facilitates timing of the notching machine as a whole with other elements of a can body maker line such as a hook forming machine and a can body maker, all of which, as explainedhereinabove and as described in the above mentioned co-pending applications, may be operated from the same crankshaft.

Another advantageous feature of the machine of the present invention is the fact that the punches 40 do not slide in a slide member but are supported by link or lever means. By this means scoring and galling of slide members is avoided. The punches are guided for accurate vertical movement by the parallel linkage arrangement illustrated at 45 and 46. These links and the punch holder 43 are mounted on roller bearings, so that the nuisance and the difficulty of lubricating slides are obviated.

'I claim:

1. A notching machine of the character described comprising a pair of punches, means mounting the same in spaced relation to punch opposite ends of can body blanks or the like, a crankshaft, an eccentric for each punch carried by said crankshaft, a countershaft, a rocker for each of said punches mounted on said countershaft for rotation about the axis thereof, a connecting rod 'for each rocker connecting one of said eccentrics thereto, and a connecting rod for each punch connecting each said rocker to its punch carrier.

2. A notching machine of the character described comprising a feed table adapted to support and feed can body blanks, a pair of punch carriers disposed on opposite sides of said feed table at a notching station, a pair of punches carried 'by each carrier, one pair of punches being adapted to punch notches at the corners of one end of a can body blank, and the other pair of punches being adapted to punch slits at the corners of the other end of a can body blank, a crankshaft, an eccentric for each punch carrier carried by said crankshaft, a countershaft, a rocker for each punch carrier mounted on said countershaft for rocking movement about the axis thereof, a connecting rod for each rocker connecting the same with one of said-eccentrics, a'connecting rod operatively connecting each of said rockers with its punch carrier, and parallel linkages for each punch carrier for guiding same for vertical movement.

3. A can body blank punching machine for punching the corners of a can body blank which comprises a horizontal feed table for supporting a can body blank in a horizontal plane, a frame, a punch adapted to punch a corner of such blank, and a punch carrier for said punch; said machine also comprising spaced, parallel upper and lower links each pivotally connected at one end to said frame and connected at its other end to said punch car- .rier, the pivot points of said links being located in a vertical plane, 'said links serving to guide said punch for movement through 'a vertical are which transects the plane of said body blank at a corner of the blank; said machine also comprising means connected to said punch carrier for oscillating said punch through said arc.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

